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Sugaring vs. Waxing

One of my biggest pet peeves about myself is having hair anywhere other than my head or my eyebrows, but we as humans tend to be very hairy unfortunately. I think I was like twelve when I first began shaving and like many could attest shaving sucks because you get “stubly” the very next day. There had to be a better way to get rid of all this unwanted hair.

When I was fifteen years old I discovered waxing. MAN was that a traumatizing experience, you see I’m the type of girl who is either “all in” or “all out”. So my first waxing experience was a full Brazilian.

I remember being in Ecuador for a family event so naturally that day all of us ladies went to a salon to get our nails and hair done. While we were in the salon the big “WAX” sign caught my eyes and I asked my mom if I could get waxed, to my surprise she said FINE. Exposed and ripped at their prime my hairs went. I’m no religious, but mother of Christ did that shit hurt. My mom was behind the curtain for moral support but all she could do was laugh and my pain. Though the experience was super PAINFUL I was amazed at the results. I think my first wax lasted 5-6 weeks which was mind blowing so of course I was hooked on this method (no matter the pain).

I waxed on and off for about six years after that. I even learned how to do it myself with at home wax kits, my favorite is the Parissa Organic Body Sugar Wax. Waxing can definitely get expensive, especially here in New York so learning how to wax yourself is always a good idea. I’ve heard many women say that after a while waxing gets easier and less painful but for me it never did.

About two years ago, I learned about sugaring while I was researching for an article I was writing for MODE MEDIA (you know before they went down under, screwing bloggers left and right). I was really intrigued since it was said to be less painful than regular waxing. I searched far and wide for a sugaring salon and came up with ONE on Long Island (read my review of Bare Fruit Sugaring and Brow Studio in Westbury NY) and just a handful in Manhattan. I made my first sugaring appointment and have never gone back to getting waxed again, here’s why:

Sugaring

Made with natural ingredients (sugar, water and lemon).

Hypoallergenic

Applied at body temperature.

Exfoliates by removing dead skin cells.

Application: The sugar paste is worked by hand against hair growth, engulfing every little hair in an area and then quickly flicked off towards hair growth — making the process a lot less painful.

Hair is removed out of the follicle in the natural direction of the hair successfully preventing ingrown hairs.

Hair has to be at least an 1/8 of an inch long (5-7 days after shaving) for successful extraction.

Lasts up to 8 weeks.

Cost depends on body area but generally more expensive than waxing.

Waxing

Made with resins and chemicals for texture (causes skin irritation).

Usually applied at high heat could cause burning and scarring.

Does not exfoliate, could rip live skin cells if not done properly.

Application: Wax is spread towards hair growth with a spatula and ripped against hair growth with a special waxing paper.

Hair has to be at least 1/3 of an inch long (two weeks after shaving) for successful extraction.

Lasts between 5-6 weeks.

Cost depends on body area, but generally less expensive than sugaring.

I have sugared most parts of my body with the exception of my eyebrows and arms but everything else has been ripped clean and though it is slightly more expensive than waxing it is 100% worth it for me. I have been tempted to try laser hair removal, what’s your take on it?